RUSH

This album finds the Canadian power trio honing their synth-laden sound and masterfully pulling off some excellent tracks like the massive capitalist statement 'The Big Money', Cold War mini-epic 'The Manhattan Project' and the musically athletic 'Marathon' which features some career best playing from Geddy and Neil. Why I haven't mentioned Alex is because his guitar lines blend into the synthetic sounds making it increasingly difficult to know where he is. Despite the superb opening act, side two is comparatively indistinct and lacking in memorable hooks? 'Mystic Rhythms' with its dark timbres arrives too late to save the album from being a winning home run and the clinical, precise production does leave the listener a little bit cold.

Review Nº 889

"Signals" is the ninth studio album of Rush and was released in 1982. It was the follow up to their previous and very successful studio album "Moving Pictures". Stylistically, the album was a continuation of Rush's foray into the new oriented technology of the 80's, through the increased use of electronic instrumentation such as keyboards and electric violin. The synths really add another layer of sound to the album as a whole and clearly without them, the album would not have the charm it has. Other noticeable changes were the decreased average song length and lyrical compression.

"Signals" represents the first studio album released by the band that belongs to their third musical phase that ended with their twelfth studio album "Hold Your Fire" released in 1987. The other two studio albums released by the group between these two studio albums are "Grace Under Pressure" released in 1984 and "Power Windows" released in 1985.

The line up on the album is Geddy Lee (lead vocals, Rickenbacker 4001 and Fender jazz bass, Mini Moog, Obernheim OB-X and OB-Xa, OB-8, Roland Jupiter-8, Obernheim DSX, Roland TR-808 rhythm machine and Moog Taurus pedals), Alex Lifeson (Fender Stratocaster double neck and Moog Taurus pedals) and Neil Pearl (Tama drums, Avedis Zildjian cymbals, Wuhan China Type cymbals and percussion). The album had also the participation of Ben Mink (violin).

"Signals" has eight tracks. All lyrics were written by Neil Pearl, except "Chemistry" that was written by Lee, Lifeson and Pearl and all music was written by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson. The first track "Subdivisions" is my favourite song on the album. The keyboards are lush and gorgeous here, and Geddy's voice is in his top element here. Based on whether or not you like "Subdivisions", this is in a certain way the track that can basically decide whether or not you will like "Signals". The second track "The Analog Kid" is a very different song. This is a much more guitar oriented song and represents the hardest rocking song on the whole album. It features Lifeson at his best and with Lee flowing nicely. The guitar and the bass lines are very powerful and are very well supported by an incredible drumming by Pearl, as usual. The third track "Chemistry" represents one of those rare and fascinating occasions where all three band's members share lyrical work. This is another very interesting song with again the massive use of synthesizers. The guitar and the bass are also really powerful on this song. This is an incredible example of a perfect mix of guitars and keyboards. The fourth track "Digital Man" is a song that brings some musical elements of reggae. Sincerely this a track that in some parts reminds me the music of The Police and particularly Pearl sounds like Stuart Copeland. This is a very interesting, good and strong track from the album, even though that it isn't for sure one of their most popular songs. The fifth track "The Weapon" continues were "Witch Hunt" left off and will follow it as part two of the "Fear" trilogy, and is excellent with its explorations of how people, and societies, use fear against each other. It's the lengthiest track on the album and it has almost mechanical drumming and some electronic noises. This is another great track with very important lyrics. The sixth track "New World Man" is a song that reminds me of "Digital Man", because it has the same meaning and the musical influences of reggae. At a first place it sounds a little bit commercial like it was made to be passed on the radio. This is one of the weakest tracks on the album, but I sincerely think that it's a catchy song with great singing from Lee. The seventh track "Losing It" is a great ballad, reflecting on the waning years of one's life man. Lifeson has some great guitar work with his solo and Ben Mink's violin is simply and absolutely gorgeous on this song. It's a very different track and the most experimental of the album. This is also the only song on the whole album that uses acoustic guitars. The eighth and last track "Countdown" was designed for commercial and video play, but I sincerely like it. It's a song that musically and lyrically builds in symbolism and homage to the lunch of a space shuttle. It's a very well done and tasteful song with a great keyboard work for those who appreciate it. This is a very strong ending to a strong album.

Conclusion: "Signals" is another very good and fine album from Rush that certainly worthy of Rush's name. Fans of their older musical era from their progressive musical period might have an initial hang up, like me, but this album will certain grow to be a favourite of them. With "Signals", the band is still rocking and moving with a fluid grace. It soars with the kind of spirit only these veterans can produce or get way with on such a style change. Lee's bass is still great and his solos work very well, if anything his dominant here. Pearl's percussion is complex, at times subtle, but still dominating rhythm machine. Lifeson's leads are drowned out his solos are still great, his imprinting is still working its magic as a multi textured part of the whole. The musical arrangements are excellent, the group writing pieces of music that flow with grace, the production here melding the compositions into an artistic whole, sounds and textures ebbing and rising with a craftsman detail. So, we can say that the final result is another great studio album from Rush, indeed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The 2011 Cleveland concert has been heavily criticised by the most devoted Rush fans; just check out their reviews in our 'live album' section. I myself thoroughly enjoyed it, almost from start to finish. I'll admit it's not as perfect as R30, but for someone like me, who never attended a Rush gig, it almost makes me feel as if I were in Cleveland that night. Any deficiencies in the drum sound or in Geddy Lee's vocals don't bother me when I'm watching the blu-ray. The camera work is just fantastic, it makes me feel as if I were right there in the concert hall. The band's playing is as precise and exciting as ever, and the set list features not just one but THREE first-rate Rush instrumentals: 'YYZ', 'La Villa Strangiato' AND 'Leave That Thing Alone'. The latter is performed with great gusto; Geddy's bass solo is a wonder to behold. Best of all, this is the only live set where you'll find one of my favourite Rush numbers: 'The Camera Eye'. In my view, the 2011 live version far surpasses the studio original. The video show accompanying the tune (projected on huge screens) is spectacular (it carries me away every time) and Geddy opens the piece with his best Robert de Niro imitation. In other words, I can't escape from calling this an 'excellent addition to your personal prog rock music collection'!

Well, here it is, the full stop - whilst archival Rush material and rare gems will doubtless be dug out here and there, and whilst strictly speaking the idea of a Rush album without Neil Peart isn't totally unprecedented - he wasn't on their debut album, remember - he'd become such an integral part of the band from Fly By Night onwards that I think everyone realises the prospect of new Rush concerts and albums following his passing just doesn't make sense. This big 40th anniversary blowout live set essentially draws a line under their career; everything that comes out after this is solely going to be a matter of filling in the gaps.

How is it? Well, it's resolutely OK, but not better than OK. Like most Rush live releases of the 2000s, it's somewhat overlong and is a bit too keen on including audience noise, and Geddy's vocals aren't what they used to be. Everything is deftly and precisely performed, save for those moments of vocal shakiness, but on the other hand it doesn't quite land like archival live performances that have been creeping out from their heyday through recent reissues. If you want a lot of live Rush, sure, this is fine. If you want the best of live Rush, I'd look to releases from substantially earlier in their illustrious career.

This is probably the only progressive record that I have listened to that is as close as perfection as is humanly possible. The shift from progressive hard rock still a hallmark of the trio's previous album may not have been perceived by every fan as positive, but I think it injected much-needed change in the band's musical direction. I consider this album superior to both Hemispheres and Moving Pictures, although for different reasons. The musicianship is top-notch as per usual (2112 was the last album where there were still some flaws in execution) and Geddy Lee's singing has become better over time, this being the first album where his voice sounds more natural.

The album's opener The Spirit of Radio is simply one of the best songs in the band's catalogue, easily on par with other the songs that would open the subsequent three albums. More importantly, this song also shines on the audio recording of the Grace Under Pressure Tour (which I incidentally once captured from a Super VHS tape to burn onto a CD, but is luckily available on CD now as part of a box set). I honestly don't know many songs that sound equally great in the studio as well as live, but The Spirit of Radio pulls it off.

Next on to Freewill, a great song accompanied by insightful lyrics. Whilst it doesn't elevate itself above the other songs on the album, that is no slight. Jacob's Ladder is the song it took me the longest to like, but now I love it. It just happens from time to time that a song I have trouble really appreciating I come to love over time (Witch Hunt is another example). A standout song from start to finish. Entre Nous is one of those songs that could easily be overlooked, but whilst not the most complex of songs, it has that special energy that only Rush songs seem to exhibit.

Different Strings is a personal favourite and just shows how far the band has come in its evolution. Compared to previous attempts such as Tears (2112) and Madrigal (A Farewell To Kings), this song is better in almost every aspect. Great lyrics with some very good singing on Geddy Lee's part make this one of the few times when Rush has succeeded with a ballad-like song.

Natural Science closes the album on a perfect note. Again insightful lyrics and Neil Peart's drumming is just wonderful along with great performances of Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee. Of course it could not continue, but it just shows how good music can be.

This album easily makes the desert Island top 10. A masterpiece with very few contemporaries.

Entering the new decade Rush strikes again with "PERMANENT WAVES" as their 7th studio album in 1980. This album displays a ton of rush's best qualities such as the strong bass by Geddy Lee (and his iconic vocals), powerful riffs by Alex Lifeson and some well written lyrics by Neil Peart but I can't forget his drumming on the album neither. I found the CD today!!! i found it along other CDs in my attic and I have already listened to it twice today. Spirit of radio shows the side of Rush that was played a lot more on the radio than others opening with Alex Lifesons recognizable riff and would become a hit. My introduction to the album and my favorite song on the album "Jacob's Ladder" hits deep with great synth and more guitar by Alex Lifeson. The track "Different strings showed me a side of rush I had never seen before, I have never heard a more mellower song by Rush and this was a great one.The ten minute closer "Natural Science" harkens back to work on albums like 'A Farewell to Kings' and 'Hemispheres,' exploring the progressive side of their music with long instrumental sections, weaving through various time signatures and styles and abandoning the desire for radio time. This song is simply gorgeous from the nature sounds that open the tune, to the big riffs and synth layers that weave through the runtime. With each massive Rush song, they find a way to create drama and suspense almost like watching a short film or a three-act play. The movements, the ebbs and flows are so natural yet can be a bit spontaneous at times. It's masterful, it's angelic, it's perfection and I love it.Overall 5 stars this album really stood out to me and captured me like Farewell to kings did.

I knew early into my love affair with Rush that I was mainly a fan of their 80's synth-heavy era. As a long-time prog fan, I gravitated to albums like 'Grace Under Pressure', 'Moving Pictures' and 'Signals'. That's not to say I disliked the bands more hard rock material, I just had a firm belief of what my preferences were. So, going through the bands discography from the start, 1974's self-titled debut is a solid hard rocker that holds up today, but after that, it's been all downhill so far.

1975's 'Fly By Night' didn't really do much for me, and sadly, neither does this, the bands third studio album, 'Caress of Steel'.

Which is a shame, because Rush are one of my favourite bands, and the trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart have created some absolutely stellar albums over the years. But there's just nothing about this one that clicks with me. There's a couple of decent tracks, such as 'Bastille Day' and 'I Think I'm Going Bald', but I'm really not likely to listen to any of these by choice.

And to top it off, the Canadian's make their first foray into full-on progressive rock territory, with two tracks reaching durations of almost 13 and 20 minutes respectively, but holy hell these tracks are boring! I absolutely struggle to keep listening without losing interest, oftentimes forgetting it's even the same song I'm listening to.

And sadly, that's 'Caress of Steel'. As much as I love Rush, this album just isn't resonating with me, and since their next studio album is a firm, prog classic, I think it's time to move on to that one?

I had bought it just because it was Rush and I wanted to have everything. For some reason, in the beginning only Distant Early Warning appealed to me (come to think of it, maybe because I had already listened to A Show of Hands and it was familiar) and now I feel appaled by my early judgment! In fact, if the overall quality was not watered down by The Body Electric and Kid Gloves (which I keep listening in case my judgment changes once again - it hasn't) it would be a top Rush album. Afterimage (written about Robbie Whelan, a tape operator at Le Studio who was killed in a car accident) drips with emotion, Red Sector A which speaks about the Holocaust imprisonment camps manages to convey a feeling of anxiety and desperation, Red Lenses is spectacularly groovy (thanks, mostly, to the bass lines). As a whole, Geddy Lee's keyboards have taken a more leading role and Alex Lifeson's guitar focuses on the rhythm where the reggae influence is kind of obvious (consider The Enemy Within - the first part of the trilogy The Fear which started on Moving Pictures and was presented in descending order). The music generally is permeated by a dark atmosphere (excluding Kid Gloves) and I have read this was because the band was thinking seriously to break up - in fact Distant Early Warning was about it and the picture of a C-clamp in the inner of the artwork hints at that, too.

It was an album that Rush had difficulty to do. It took them three months to write the material and then spent five months recording it and the sessions were pretty hectic. Many times they felt that they couldn't come up with what the song demanded. They wanted new challenges because they had achieved a certain level of proficiency in what they were already doing. Consider also that they worked for the first time with another producer than Terry Brown in order to go into other musical territories. Many fans miss their up-to-1980s sound, but to my ears the music is so good that quite a few times I get the goosepimples. Try Between the Wheels and hear for yourselves.

Another Rush live set which offers plenty of material but which doesn't quite hit the mark, in part because of the annoying decision to have the crowd comparatively high in the mix, something which has affected their live releases from at least as far back as Rush In Rio. It's because these live releases of theirs tend to have accompanied DVDs, and are usually just the audio from the DVD transferred to CD with some touch-ups here and there - the problem is that if you're listening to a CD rather than watching a DVD, it's probably because you want to hear the music and can take or leave the live crowd ambience.

With 'Counterparts' Rush returned to a sound much more familiar to themselves and to their fans, in a metaphorical way "abandoning" entirely their synth-based meanderings and composing a heavy album that can without a doubt be seen as the band's strongest and perhaps most consistent release since 'Moving Pictures' and 'Signals'. Juggling between crushing riffs with a rampant rhythm section and gorgeous melodies with balanced writing, 'Counterparts' is a great example of a return to form after the less enthralling albums 'Presto' and 'Roll the Bones'. Of course, as the story goes, some turmoil did encompass the band during the writing of the album, mainly coming from Lee's desire to use synths extensively for the embellishment of the songs, and Lifeson's insistence on sticking to a more guitar-based sound. Notwithstanding, the end result is a strong collection of songs dealing with the duality of human nature as well as love and sexuality, which is a bit unusual for Rush as a band not known for their love songs.

Stylistically, we can hear the prevailing influence of alternative rock and grunge over many of the album's tracks - the band utilized heavier guitars and a more organic production resulting in a daring and unfiltered sound that simply suits Rush well. Working with produced Peter Collins, it becomes even less surprising to understand why the Canadian trio opted for a heavier sonic presentation on 'Counterparts'. Cathartic opener 'Animate' sets a fantastic and engaging tone for the album, declaring its strong departure from the more lighthearted nature of preceding albums. 'Stick It Out' follows up with an even more traditional hard rock sound, this is a great track in which each player is able to stand out. 'Cut to the Chase' is a bit more experimental but still very good. What makes a lasting impression here is the excellent songwriting and the smart arrangements - e perfect combination of Rush's sophisticated classic albums and their accumulated experience, given that 'Counterparts' is their fifteenth studio album. 'Nobody's Hero' is another beautiful entry, a bit more melancholic, this is not the typical Rush song. After that, the middle of the album loses some of the initial steam, although still cramped with good songs that tend to get less heavy, until the end of the album where the listener encounters a gorgeous instrumental 'Leave That Thing Alone' and the powerful 'Cold Fire'.

Overall, 'Counterparts' is a more typical Rush album, mature and digestible, the heavier sounds are more than welcome after more than a decade of experimenting with pop and new wave. Both hard rock and prog fans should find plenty of delightful material on here, and while not a perfect album per se, this is a strong and contemporary release that still sounds as good.